A new Honda hybrid car is due out in 2009 from the Japanese automobile manufacturer. Honda Motor Corporation is pulling out all the stops to take on arch-rival Toyota in the swiftly growing hybrid market. Currently Honda only has one hybrid car on the market, the Honda Civic hybrid, after discontinuing it’s highly fuel efficient Honda Insight model in 2006.

The new car will be sold solely as a hybrid - and not as a separate version of a traditional gas powered model. Honda will also expand other existing lines into hybrid editions over the next three years, including a hybrid version of the sporty CR-Z and a Fit Subcompact version.

Honda intends to make the price of hybrid technology more affordable with new production innovations and strategies. Currently hybrid motors cost nearly $5,000 more than their traditional gasoline counterparts. Honda intends to get the differential down to under $2,000 in order to extend the enormous savings hybrids bring even further beyond the gas pump.

You can by learning more about hybrid car technology, makes and models on hybridcars.com.

LINKS:

AP: Honda to sell new gas-electric hybrid next year

The Guardian: Honda to roll out cheap new hybrid model in early ‘09

Hybrid Car Blog: New Honda hybrid on schedule